Grits and Mushroom Dinner

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Simple dishes are always the best in our opinion. Keep the ingredients simple, make sure they’re fresh, and cook them well. That’s really the secret to great cooking at the end of the day and this Vegetarian Grits and Mushroom Recipe is a fantastic example of simple cooking at its finest

The immense amount of flavor you can extract out of this plate of Grits is phenomenal. The key is to use your own homemade Vegetable Broth. Which is a very easy ingredient to make, and it totally transforms the dish. Combine that with Cream, Butter, and Cheese, and you’ve got an unbelievably tasty, velvety smooth plate of Grits. Plate those beautiful Creamy Mushrooms on top, add a touch of finishing salt and this delicious plate of Vegetarian Grits and Mushroom dish is ready to be devoured!

Make your own Vegetable Broth for a far superior (and healthier) flavor

Vegetable Broth is one of the easiest ingredients to make and will only take you 1 hour. Just add some leftover vegetables into a pot along with water. Bring it to a boil then simmer, covered for 1 hour. Once you strain and discard the vegetables you’re left with a wonderfully flavored broth that adds so much depth to the Grits and Mushroom dish

There are plenty of vegetables you can use to make a good quality Vegetable Broth. The most common vegetables are Carrots, Celery, and Onions. Which is good news, given they are some of the most common vegetables used in cooking, so likely you’ll have some lying around in your refrigerator

Avoid using Root vegetables such as Potatoes, as they tend to leave a bitter taste in the broth. Best to stick to Carrots, Onion, and Celery

An optional addition to the Vegetable Broth is to add some Mushrooms

Another option for you to add into the Broth is Mushrooms. Given Mushroom is the prominent flavor we are going for in this dish, save a few of those Mushrooms and use them in the Broth instead!

Please try to avoid buying the packaged Broths and Stocks from the store. They’re loaded with sodium (salt) which is not good for you, and honestly don’t taste all that great either. Making your own Vegetable Broth takes just 1 hour, so you can set the pot on the stove while you’re prepping the rest of the ingredients for this meal. Easy!

You can check out our detailed Vegetable Broth recipe here for the full rundown on how to make a perfect Vegetable Broth. Do not worry though! We have details in the recipe below on how to make the Broth too

The best Grits are made when you add Cheese!

Grits are fantastic, but the one thing better than them is Cheesy Grits! The Southern staple dish of Cheesy Grits is not lost in this recipe at all. We love the blend of Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Parmesan for the best flavor and texture

The Parmesan adds a beautiful nuttiness to the overall flavor and compliments the Sharpness of the Cheddar Cheese brilliantly. Cheddar is just an overall great cheese to add in Southern Food, as it adds a beautiful creamy quality to the dish, along with it’s great flavor too

If you want to keep this dish simple you absolutely do not need to include the Cheese in the recipe. We would suggest adding a little bit more butter into the Grits as a replacement, along with about ½ cup of the Heavy Cream. This will maintain that beautiful velvety texture that you want with a good plate of Grits and Mushroom

The Smaller Mushrooms such as Cremini, Button, or White Mushrooms are perfect for this Grits and Mushroom Recipe

These are very common Mushrooms so will likely have no challenges finding them at your local grocery store. Cremini, Button, or White Mushrooms are perfect for this dish. They bring the full, earthy Mushroom flavor to the dish and taste fantastic when cooked down in luxurious Heavy Cream

Sliced up, they absorb all the flavors of the Cream, Garlic, and Onions and create a beautifully textured sauce that just melts into the Cheesy Grits. For this recipe there is no need to peel the mushrooms, just slice them up whole and they will be good to go

Like all Mushrooms, just check to ensure there isn’t any dirt or grit on them before you slice. If so, you can wipe the grit away with a paper towel before preparation

Vegetarian Grits and Mushroom Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup Stone Ground Grits (Yellow or White)
• 4 Cups of Vegetable Broth (recipe here)
• 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
• ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
• 2 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
• 1 cup of Cremini or Button Mushrooms, sliced
• 200g / 7 oz. Heavy Cream
• ½ Bell Pepper, diced
• ½ Red Onion, diced
• 4 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. Chives, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
  
  

Instructions

To make the Vegetable Broth

1. Place the Celery, Carrots, and Onion in a large pot or Saucepan then place over a high heat. Sear for 5 minutes
2. Add the Water, bring to a boil then cover and Simmer for 1 hour. Strain the liquid, discarding the vegetables and reserving the broth for cooking
   
   

To make the Grits and Mushroom

3. Bring the Vegetable Stock to a Boil in a medium sized saucepan, then add the Grits. Stir well, then drop the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally
4. While the Grits are cooking, add Olive Oil to a medium size frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the Red Onion, Mushrooms 1 tsp. of Salt and ½ tsp. of Pepper. Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring frequently
5. Once the Mushroom liquid has evaporated and they’ve turning dark brown, add the Garlic and Bell Peppers. Cook for 1 minute then pour in the Heavy Cream
6. Reduce the heat to a light simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until the cream has started to thicken and reduced by one third. Set aside as you finish your Grits
   
   

Instructions Continued

3. Once the Grits are cooked, finish them off by adding the Butter, Parmesan, Cheddar Cheese, 1 tbsp. of Salt and 1 tsp. Pepper. Whisk well to incorporate all the ingredients then plate immediately
4. Place the Creamy Mushroom Sauce on top of the Grits and finish with the Chives as well as (optional) a sprinkling of Flaky Salt
   
   

Note: Grits begin to solidify almost immediately after they are cooked. It is advisable to serve the Grits as soon as they are done for the best texture. You can always add a little bit more Broth (or Water) to the Grits to rehydrate them back to their velvety texture. This is particularly helpful when re-heating the next day. Adding Whole Milk is another good option for rehydrating the Grits too

This Vegetarian Grits and Mushroom recipe is a beautiful, classic Southern meal. Why not whip these up and pair them with a few of your favorite Southern Side Dishes for the ultimate Southern Meal. A few of our favorites are these ones:

• Air Fryer Mac and Cheese Balls
• Green Apple Slaw
• The Best Mac and Cheese Ever
  
  

This recipe is 100% Vegetarian, however if you wanted to add some meat protein it is more than easy to do. Just cook up some Steak or Chicken separately and add thin slices of it straight onto the plate right before serving

Happy Cooking!